Explosive.



' NITED STATES PATENT O F C :riums'r. commit, or cmcno'o, armors.

nxrmsivn.

1,037,300. re fi of Letters 'i Patented Sept. 3, 1912. m Drawing. Application filed January '11, 1912. Serial n6. $70,645.-

My new process, and the product thereof which is the subject matter of this application, attains all these desirable ends'without the necessity of going through the va- 6o rious complications of the former processes,

as will be seen from the following. As av lowing is a. specification. basis for my new explosive I use preferably This in ventionxelates to improvements in potassium chlorate; and the carbohydrate 1n the aggregate I have found, as stated in 65 my chlorate of alkali-metals and carbo-hy- 1o 'drate explosives and it relates particularly my former application, to-best be about one To all whom it may con-cam: Be it known that I, Jams F. OBnmn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of 5- Illinois, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Explosives, of which the foli to the piovision of certain combinations and compounds for the purpose of simplifying .theprocess of. manufacture ofthe explosive. -Thefpresent invention follows along the general line of my explosives of the class described, and particularly follows alongthe lline'ofmy explosives asdscribed in myllppli'eatzions for Patent filed on Septhird by weight-ofthe amount of the chlo rate. But in this case, theearbo-hydrate is made up. oftwo distinct substances, one liqbid and the other solid; and typically-I -70 use a certain proportion of starch,'preferablybrowned starch, and a certain prop rtion of molasses, preferably beet suganmolasses on account of its heapness. i,'The" l "i temberSth, 1911, SN. aim-u; September v p a entities of starchand molasses-are 75 2o. th,.191 1,'S. N: 6505373; October 24m,- 1911,.

at the .carbo-hydrates in'thestarch and the.molassesrivillsaggregategapproximatelj .i.

the second application-cited, -my explosive n composed that theprocesso't n necessitated cooking or heating I 25 some of the ingredients before they could he finallymixed to form the explosive; "My present; invention obviates this preliminary heating orcoo and-enahles-me to directly jfiorm'the explosive from'the suitable ingredient-s withpnt'any preliminary processesother' than grinding er'finely dividing someof theingredients. In my former processes of the first two cited applications for the making of my explosive I had first coolied or heated the ca 1- hO hydrate, adding water if necessary, so that' a -liquid was formed. This' lieated liquid was then mixed witli the chlorate and other ingnedients'and came out-as a. plastic or semi-fluid mass. mass was then dividedinto small particles of suitable .-siz e-and shape and then dried. In order that each particle of-the. resultant'explosive have its due proportions of the difierent ingredients, it is, necessarythat. the mass be mixed in-a liquid'pr semi-liquid condition; and the plastic mass resigltant is very handled divided into particles of any size and shape; and the moisture pervad ng the mass also greatly decreases any liability and tendency to accidental explosion. In the process of the third application cited the liquids of the molasses provided sulficientmoisture for working the materlal. But the water present must. subsequently be removed to form a dry product.

one third "of. the amount *0: chlorate; by weight; For instance,- if I use seventy five poxmds of chlorate, then I- typically use abont'twelv'e and one' half pounds of the starch and about twenty five pounds of'molasses. (This "amount of molascs is based onthefa'et-that i1i-so1ne cheap-hcet sugar-- molasses the amount of, available carbohyd-m'tes is only ahoilt one half of the total nmlas's'es; in molasss where the mlrlm-hydmtes run to a higher proportion. the lolalamount of-molasses used would be proportionately smaller.) Allowing one half o'f'the molasses forsubstances which will not enter into the re-action, substances other than carho hy- -draltcs. there is thorn in the compound above outlined a total'of twenty five pounds of carbo-hydrates. This makes the ideal pro- 1 portions of one part carbohydrate to three p'arts chlorate.

In connection with the above enumerated ingredients I hate found a special ellicieucy in the'combination of certain amountsoi calcined clay. l-ortland cement, or like sub stances? :1' have found by repeated e. eriment that :1 small amount of potass um chlorid is left in solid state afier the detonation of a mixture of chlorate alld' carho-h v- (Irate: and that increasing additions of some silicate materialdecrease thesolid deposit. I have also found, with my general class of chlorate and carbo-hydrate explosives and particularly with one. herein descrilur-zl. that 110 an addition f the silicate material up to an amount of forty pounds (In the amount of other substances given above) does not materially decrease the explosive energy of a givenweight-of explosive; that is specifically,"thata pound of explosive containing the proportions 7 5 chlorate, 12% starch, molasses and clay is approximately as strong as a pound containing thepropon.

tions 7 5 chlorate, 123,- starch and 25 molasses. From these facts I have arrived atthe obvious conclusion that the silicate must carry with it some. potential explosive energy to balance the energy of the chlorate and carbo-hydrate displaced. It seems that the alu- '15 react w1th -potass1um and chlorin to form other compounds and liberate oxygen. This 4 active chemical action is in addition to the 25. Anysubstanoe of a general character simiminum silicates of calcined clay, or silicates ofother materials such as Portland cement,

passive heat retaining quality in the clay o othermaterial.

Calcined clay seems to give best results,-

carrying a 'high percentage of aluminum silicates. Portland cement is veryconven iently used, however, as it can be readily obtained on themarket in dry powdered form.

lar to these will give good results, it being apparent that the presence of silicates adds 'j'to the explosive. energy.- ;The other comso act mainlyfas heat retainers. IThis actionis; I ofno'httle importance, as theheatis' "thus jmorejhighly concentrated in'jthe-ex '35 ggases, generated by the explosion.

roves the mechanical and chem1- unds, such'as calcium aluminatesin Port- 1 and cement, are comparatively inert and have so foundthat the, addition of a small amount of "graphite or similar subcal qualities of the'explosive. The grains are smoothed exteriorly so as to reduce friction both "in the operations of mix1 the ingredients and-handling the finished explosive. The carbon also enters into the chemical action 'of detonation.

It is in the process of manufacture of this particular explosive that it has one of the greatest utilities. As a preparatory measure 1t isonly neoesary that the chlorate and the may -.be' pe r'formed indifierently). starch not-necessarily liquefied, heated or dissolved thoro Starch be firstifinelydivided. The chlorate, starch, molasses, and clay or'cement are then all mixed together in a suitable mixing ma chineT-a' suitable amount of graphite or similarstanceis added and the mass is then divided and dried in any suitable manner. (These operations are perfectly safe Ed e reparato to "the mixingthe 1258s filrn ishes just the prhporliquid mo tion of moisture needed in the resultant mixture so that the mixture can be hly agitated and he made homo eneousan so that it may be easil handl for. division mto small particles. he simplicity femf thiaprocess over any other is readily aponator is "desired which is absolutely solution, and Portlan parent; and the single machine for carrying on the process is equally simple. And what effects this simplicity is the provision, in combination with the other ingredients, of the carbo-hydrates partly in solid form and partly in liquid form--specifically partly as starch or su ar and partly as molasses. The

molasses an silicates lend cheapn'essto the Unless confined, a mass cannot be detonated by flame, vibration or shocker violent percussion. It will only detonate when confined and subjected to flame. No chan e,

chemical orphysical takes place when t e explosive is exposed for long periods. It is smokeless and'leaves no 1101110118 gasesor fumes". Its strength is equal; to '60%-80% dynamite. All these qualities-make my ex plosive highlyuseful when a powerful dc;-

sa e and comparatively in ive. p Ajspecial advantage mheresin the use of- Portland cement,- in that it quickly absorbs solidification. The molasses non-delia tamed.

the moisture;imthe. mixtureandcauseslapid Having described my invention,Iclaim:--

1. An explosive, comprising aluminous substance.v

2; An eizplosive, consistinigof approximately .a lorate seventy ve pounds, a.

solid carbo-h'drate twelve and one half pounds, a car -hydr'ate in solution twenty five pounds, and a silico-alumin'ous substance less than forty pounds.

.3. An 'losive consisting of a chlorate, a solid car -hy' rate a cube-hydrate in d cement.

chlorate, starch," molasses, and a silicoi 4. An losive, consisting of approxi-- mately a crate seventy five pounds,'asolid carbo-hydrate twelve and one half pounds,

a; carbo-hydrate in solution twenty five pounds, and Portland cement less than forty I .5. An explosive,'comprising starch, molasses, a chlorate ofan alkali metal, and a silico-aluminous material.

6. An explosive, com rising approximately a chlorate of an a ali metal seventy five parts by weight, starch twelve and one half perts, molasses twenty five parts, and a siheo-aluminous substance less than forty parts.

explosive, comprising approximately potassium chlorate seventy-five parts 

